Importance of Aftercare Following Klonopin Addiction Treatment
What is Aftercare?
Aftercare is a type of treatment that is arranged for patients after they finish with formal treatment. According to a study from the NCBI, “the mismatch between the typical natural history of substance use disorders (SUDs) and treatment models and expectations reduces our ability to help addicted individuals.” This is why aftercare is so important.
Many people who go into rehab leave thinking that they are addiction free, when really recovery can be a very long process. For someone who has been abusing drugs for years, several treatment cycles might be needed and the patient should definitely consider aftercare once leaving a treatment program.
Aftercare can be provided in a number of ways, such as:
- Halfway houses
- Sober living facilities
- Support groups and mutual-help groups (MHGs)
- Telephone and “Internet-based groups”
Aftercare can be varied and, based on a person’s needs, something very beneficial could be chosen. These programs are very important to the recovery of individuals with drug addictions.
Why is It Important Following Klonopin Addiction Treatment?
Anyone who is addicted to drugs should consider some kind of aftercare upon leaving rehab. If the person has no home to go back to, a half-way house could be very beneficial. If going home would cause too much temptation that the patient isn’t ready for, sober living facilities provide living spaces where tenants pay rent and get to live with others. And support groups can be necessary even for those with the strongest support system of family and friends.
Klonopin addiction can be very difficult. It can lead easily to relapse because of the availability of the drug. Because Klonopin’s abuse potential is high according to the DCP, patients may return to a place where abuse of the drug is still common and rampant.
Someone who attends Klonopin rehab will also have experienced difficult withdrawal symptoms like “seizures that do not stop, hearing or seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), shaking, and stomach and muscle cramps” (FDA). Especially if the patient did not slowly withdraw from the drug, these symptoms may have been very intense. Other problems during rehab could cause the entire experience to be painful and difficult, to the point where a patient may not be ready to be on their own afterward. Aftercare can help bridge the gap between the two points and help patients through continued recovery from these difficult ordeals.
Aftercare Keeps Patients on Track
When patients leave rehab, sometimes they want to believe that they are completely cured of their addictions. This can make them vulnerable. They may not realize how much they still crave the drug or how difficult it will be to turn Klonopin down afterward.
Aftercare actually helps patients avoid relapse, fight cravings and triggers, and make strong relationships that help keep them where they need to be. Although treatment will teach patients many new skills and wean them off of the drug, they may not ready to be out on their own. The use of aftercare can be hugely important to the successful ongoing recovery of Klonopin addiction patients.